


Delicate

by Nala2020



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:41:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nala2020/pseuds/Nala2020
Summary: Naomi Poesy is a TV host of the show about acting and contemporary cinema. She is living life to the fullest, but for some reason she promised herself, she will never do any relationships. Much to her surprise she befriends one of her guests. Will she keep her promise?***The title refers to Damien Rice's song "Delicate".
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Kal-El (Henry Cavill's Dog), Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first story, I have never ever written anything in my life. English is not my first language, so please forgive me for all the mistakes. If there will be at least one person interested in the story I will keep writing this thing and promise I'll try to make the grammar and English better.
> 
> ***
> 
> If you feel like the story is shit (and it obviously can happen) just please don't write anything. I am kind of nervous posting this, so please don't hate me ;) 
> 
> ***
> 
> There were two people, who encouraged me to write these two chapters and helped me with it, I am very grateful to them.

Feb. 2020

„Naomi, our guest is having his makeup done. He will be in the studio in about five minutes, we’re on air in ten.”

„Thank you. My God, I had such a wonderful weekend! Can you imagine that Samuel Firth, the CEO of The Kellan Investments, agreed to finance my charity?? We actually went out on Saturday. I was certain he would have sent one of his employees, but no! He came himself! We went to Nobu Restaurant. We spent almost three hours talking about the charity and our legal, and psychological support. I told him about all the women and children needing our help. Apparently, he has four kids. He also gave me a wonderful idea – to build a house, where the most needed ones could temporarily live. He said the FI could provide the building to accommodate. That’s fucking awesome!”

„Sounds brilliant! You know I will always be grateful, that you helped me to move on, and that you gave me this job. I don’t know what we’d do without your help. I was such a mess. I mean it.” Sarah smiled at Naomi. „I can’t say thank you enough.” For a moment Sarah zoned out thinking about her previous life. Her husband abused her and their ten-year-old son. He even made them steal alcohol for him. She met Naomi by accident in Buddhist Centre, where Sarah was looking for help. Sarah remembered their first encounter. Despite Naomi’s petite frame, Sarah felt the great energy. Naomi invited Sarah to her charity, provided the legal and psychological care. They managed to fight the restraining order, which made Sarah feel much better and safe. 

„Hey, Sarah.” Naomi approached the girl and grabbed her by the hand. „Everything is fine. It is fine. It will be fine.” Naomi gave Sarah a hug. „Now, let’s go to our guest. I’ve heard you fancy him!”

“Oh, I so do. Who doesn’t??”

“Well, sure he is handsome. But I’m definitely loyal to Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s such a great actor.”

„Not that handsome though! I hope I’ll get an autograph for me and for Tom, he’s a big Superman fan.” 

„We’ll work that out”. Naomi winked at her, grabbed her notes and headed to the studio. To get there she had to use the elevator, which was at the end of the main lobby. Just after she called the elevator a man approached her.

„Excuse me” He tried not to smile at her, but obviously couldn’t. „I am Henry’s friend. I mean Henry Cavill’s friend. I’m Colin. I am such a fan of yours. I really enjoy your show very much. I so wanted to meet you. Man, you look even better in person. I mean you look wonderful on screen! But in person, you are even more beautiful. I’m sorry, I’m babbling. I know that.” He shook his head and laughed. „I will wait here for Henry. I just. I am your fan, really.” 

Naomi was so amused by this situation but it felt really nice what the man had to say. „Thank you, Colin. It’s really nice to hear that. So, if you are a fan of the show, maybe you’d like to see it from the inside? Come with me!” 

They both entered the elevator, which lead them to the tenth floor. 

„Good evening everyone!” Naomi said rushing through the studio towards two huge sofas located in the centre side of the stage. Her guest was sitting on one of these. 

„Mr Cavill, very nice to meet you.” she extended her hand. Henry immediately stood up and shook her hand. 

“It’s Henry, Nice to meet you too. Confession time. I must admit I am quite nervous to be here. You can be so abrupt to your quests!” He was partly teasing of course, but not quite.

“Me abrupt?!” She exclaimed with and smirked. “Nobody has ever told me that! When have I been abrupt?”

“I remember the episode with Jesse McBell, the theatre director and how you baptized him for not knowing who Grotowski was! I so watched it yesterday, just to prepare for the worst.” He laughed.

“Oh no. I do remember that! Was that abrupt reaction, really??” She giggled. She did remember that encounter. The guy was so full of himself, there was no discussion with him – each movie Naomi asked about was “shit”, each director was a “spoiled wannabe”. Only Jesse McBell was the greatest. Naomi as a typical hot-tempered person decided to teach him a lesson. On vision. That was very unprofessional, obviously. She regretted being so harsh. It turned out though, that it was one of the most watched and liked episodes of the season. “But I tell you what. Fear not! I am a huge fan of the Witcher, so I will be gentle with you. Promise.” She gave him the sweetest smile. “Please take a seat.”

They both sat on the sofas, facing each other.

“So. Are you the game fan or the books fan?” Henry lifted his eyebrow and smiled at his host. 

“Mostly books. I’ve started to play only a couple of months ago. I can’t complete one task. I just have no idea how to..” Naomi stopped talking as she heard the director’s voice in her earphone. “40 seconds to get on air.” She smiled at Henry, who obviously was a bit nervous. “No worries, today I am as gentle as a little puppy.” They both chuckled. 

A few seconds later they started rolling. The interview went very well. Naomi kept her promise, but couldn’t deny herself to tease Henry a little bit about his nervousness. Henry felt almost intimidated each time she asked questions and looked at him with her piercing grey eyes. He was impressed by her knowledge about the movie industry and the acting methods. He enjoyed the form of this encounter. It was rather a conversation than a typical interview. 

“So … I hope it wasn’t as bad as you expected it to be. I wouldn’t like to become your nightmare.” She said after they heard “cut” in their earphones. 

Henry stood up so that the staff could remove his micro. “No, no. It was a real pleasure. I mean it. You have quite a big knowledge about acting methods. Have you ever tried to perform?”

“Well. Yes and no. I have a master degree in acting. I graduated drama school in London and I did a three - month course in Moscow. It was my dream once. So at school I was performing, mostly in theatres. I really enjoyed working on a role and acting in theatre. I did some movie projects but just small indie productions. The surrounding though was not for me. I mean the castings, convincing everyone that I’m prettier, slimmer, fatter, taller, smaller, better, more talented. No. That’s not for me. So, I started to work as a radio reporter. For a short time, I prepared criminal podcasts. That was so cool, I really liked that! Then I moved to the cultural news section as one of the reporters got fired and I was a drama school graduate. And then it just happened, I got the offer to work here.”

“Don’t you regret that you gave up acting?” 

“I once did. For a moment. It happened when my friend was a guest of the show, she studied with me. She’s a great actress. When I interviewed her, just for a second, I felt like – oh, it could have been me. But I believe everything happens for a reason.”

Naomi didn’t even notice Colin, who approached them. 

“Oh. Naomi, this is my friend Colin. He’s a real fan of yours. And the reason of my nervousness. He showed the bloody episode to me!” Henry laughed and patted his friend’s arm. “He couldn’t wait to meet you”.

“Yes, we’ve already met today.” She turned towards Colin, who was smiling shyly. “Are you from movie industry?”

Both Henry and Colin looked at each other and laughed. “God no!” Colin shook his head. “I would never agree to work in that industry, no money could convince me. Ever. I’m an accountant.”

“Oh ok.” Naomi raised her eyebrow “I’ve never been good at numbers. Unfortunately. I spend money way too easily. Afterwards I always cry.”

“Oh. So, you need a good accountant!” Colin exclaimed.

“Or a rich husband.” Henry looked at Colin and wrapped his around his friend. “But of course, a good accountant would be a much better choice!” He couldn’t believe that after all these years of friendship, teasing Colin has still been so amusing. 

“Well thank you gentlemen for your wonderful advice, but I have to announce that I already had a rich husband, and it took me three years to divorce, and I do have an accountant. But to prove my appreciation for your advice, I’d like to invite you to the party held by BBN on Friday evening.” She whispered “They throw great parties.”

Henry was to thank her for an invitation, and explain that he wasn’t sure if his schedule allows him to participate, but Colin was quicker.

“But of course, we will be there! Wonderful. Thank you, Naomi.”

She chuckled lightly and looked at Henry “So, Sarah will contact your agent and provide you with all the details. I will sign you both up on the guests list, and if you can make it, you’re welcomed. It was a pleasure to meet both of you.” Naomi shook Henry’s and Colin’s hands and headed back to her office.

Before she reached the elevator, Henry, who apparently rushed after her, stopped her.

“Naomi, I’m sorry I just checked up my phone and I can’t make it to the party on Friday. I have a family meeting. I can’t let them down.” 

Naomi just nodded. She felt a bit disappointed, which was strange to her. She hasn’t felt anything like that for at least two years. Ever since she got divorced, she’s become emotionally numb. It has been very hard to disappoint her, as she didn’t care for anything at all. Excluding her tv work and her charity, these two years have been filled with parties, lots of expensive trips, shopping and flirting, just for sport. “Well, it’s a pity. I thought that I’d get more brilliant advice, like the one about getting a rich husband.” She chuckled. “But of course, I do understand. No worries.”

“Yes… I have some more in stock.” He smiled. After a minute of awkward silence, he added “How about having a lunch this week? We could continue our conversation about movies and the Witcher game, as you’ve said you couldn’t complete a task.”

Two women approached them as they needed to use the elevator. Once they realized who is standing next to them, they looked at each other, at Naomi, at Henry and started giggling, which made Naomi laugh. So, after a second, all of them were laughing. 

“Oh God you act as if we didn’t have famous, handsome guests in here!” Naomi rolled her eyes. 

“Naomi, you obviously do have them on your tenth floor. We don’t! Sooo. Can we ask for a photo? I know it’s so lame. I feel ashamed asking, but still. Can we?” One of the women put out her phone.

“Of course!” Henry smiled at them, and posed for the photos. Afterwards, satisfied women entered the elevator, and he turned to Naomi. “So?”

“So? Oh, the lunch! Yes, sure we can catch up later this week.” She handed him her business card with the phone number. “If you’re around, just call me”. 

“I certainly will! Have a good day Naomi.” 

“You too. Goodbye.” She smiled at him one last time, and entered the elevator, which has just arrived. 

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 already done. If anyone will be interested in the story I will keep writing, but this is my very first fic and I'm not sure if writing is something I can do. Time to find out. Hope at least someone will enjoy it;)
> 
> Forgive me all the mistakes, English is not my first language.

9th of Feb 2020

The week has gone by so fast. Naomi had a lot of work in the studio and in her charity. She also participated in three court hearings. As an owner of the charity helping victims of domestic violence, she was usually called by the court to testify. The last trial was scheduled on Friday morning. It was nasty. Naomi was attacked in the court by one of the witnesses, who was to testify in favor of the accused. Thankfully nothing has happened as the policemen reacted immediately. Once Naomi left the court, she was exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. She couldn’t wait to attend the party held by BBN, which was to take place in the evening. It was her favourite way of dealing with reality. Parties, good alcohol and sex, of course. She had a shag buddy - James, who actually believed to be her boyfriend. They were dating once or twice a week. Naomi has been honest with him about her intentions, still he had hopes that maybe one day the thing between them would become something more. 

Once she got into a taxi, she heard her phone buzz. 

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Hello Naomi, It’s Henry. I have just passed the BBN studio and I thought maybe you’d like to have a lunch with me in an hour or so? I have finally watched The Parasite! It would be wonderful to get the opportunity to talk with you about that. H”

It took Naomi a couple of seconds to realize who the person writing to her was. She looked at the clock, it was noon. On one hand she didn’t really feel like meeting anyone, she was just tired, and all she dreamt of was getting a nap before the evening. On the other hand though, she was hungry. Plus, she thought that maybe Henry could take part in the event she was organizing for children from her charity. There’s no better occasion to ask about that, than at a nice lunch. 

N: Hey handsome. Lunch sounds perfect! Could you please pick a place to meet? I’m heading from the Central Criminal Court to my place to change, and then I’ll join you.

H: Lovely. Do you have any specific wishes about the cuisine? 

N: Not really. But my top three are steaks, sushi and thai cuisine. I rely on you on that one. Just let me know where and I’ll do my best to get there as fast as possible. 

H: Steak house that is! See you soon. Henry attached the address of the restaurant to his message.

Once Naomi got home, she quickly changed her elegant black Dior dress and high heel shoes to floral maxi dress, which she matched with black ankle boots and leather jacket. Isabel Marant vibe. She was a fashion addict. Naomi untied her hair, put up in an elegant bun before. She fixed her makeup, used her favourite perfume and hurried to the restaurant. 

It took her fifteen minutes to get to the place. The hostess, led her to the table and took her coat. Henry was already waiting for her.

“Hello!” Naomi smiled and sat down in front him on the other side of the table. She noticed two bottles of water, one of which was empty. “I’m sorry, I hope you didn’t wait too long. It was really hard to get through the centre, though my Uber driver did what he could.”

“No, don’t worry about that! I took my time to make some calls. Today it’s my uncle’s birthday and my mother organizes a surprise party. Everything would be great if, as it turned out, uncle didn’t decide to make a trip today. So once my mother found out, she got very upset as she’s been organizing the party since last Tuesday. Now we’re trying to fix it and make uncle stay and visit us.” He chuckled and rose his eyebrow. “What about your day? Central Criminal Court in London. Sounds serious. You certainly don’t look like a criminal.”

Naomi looked him in the eyes and smirked “Well, don’t judge a book by its cover. Ted Bandy was very handsome and extremally charming, yet he was one of the scariest serial killers in the USA. So was Jeffery Dahmer.”

Henry propped himself up on his elbows, leant towards Naomi and said with a smile “If I weren’t that hungry I’d run away now. It’s hard to keep my wits about me being around such an attractive woman, who has just admitted, that she may secretly be a serial killer.”

Naomi leant towards him too and was to reply, but the waitress approached to take their orders. After the girl went away, Naomi remained silent for a few seconds, just looking at him with a sly smile. “You know what they say. No risk no fun.” She bit her lower lip and laughed softly, turning her gaze away from him. “No, but jokes aside. I run a charity. We help people suffering from domestic violence – mostly women and children, sometimes men. This is why my court visits are rather regular.”

Henry nodded. “That’s a very brave thing to do. It must be hard, isn’t it? I mean, to deal with all the suffering and cruelty. Doesn’t it affect your life?” 

“Not as much as it has at the beginning. The world can be cruel, one just has to accept the fact and do whatever they can to make it a little bit better.”

They couldn’t stop chatting. They talked about her charity, about his preparation for a policeman role in a movie, of which Naomi has never heard before. He told her how hard it was for him to get through all the documentation about child abuse. “Nomis. I will certainly watch tomorrow.” She wrote the title in her phone. They talked about their favourite actors, movies, her silliest memories from drama school. 

“Actually, I’ve always had huge imagination! And I’ve always loved Leonardo DiCaprio. I saw the Titanic when I was a kid. I had a friend – Caroline, she was under my spell. No doubt about that. I used to order her to play Leonardo. She was him and I was Kate. We played scenes from the movie. ALL of them. Yes, we did kiss each other. Tongues were involved! Of course, I did believe I kissed Leonardo. I remember my mum caught us kissing, and she was very worried what’s going on. After I told her that we’re just in our roles, she banned me from all the VHS other than Disney. Insane. Oh, but I’ve got even better story!”

Both of them shared lots of ridiculous stories from their childhood and teenage years. Naomi literally cried with laughter. When she excused herself for a moment to use the restroom, she realized it was 6 p.m. They spent there three hours. She couldn’t believe, it felt like half an hour. 

“Henry, I’m so sorry. It’s very impolite, I know, but I have only realized it’s so late! I have to go. I need to prepare myself for the party. I have ten missed calls from my hairdresser.” She laughed and put her wallet out of her purse. “But I must tell you I had so much fun. I feel so much better now. Let me pay for the lunch, as a thank you.”

“Oh, no. No way! I invited you and there’s no way you pay for that. Plus, I had a wonderful time too. I hope you’ll have fun at the party. It’s a shame I can’t make it. Hopefully next time.” 

“Well. Ok. Thank you!” Naomi put her wallet inside her bag, stood up, approached Henry and gave him a kiss on a cheek. “Hope you have a great fun too tonight! Bye!” Afterwards she hurried to get her coat, put it on. She realized she forgot to ask him about his contribution to her project. She quickly came back and waited until Henry paid for the meals. “Good timing, to arrive again after payment” she joked. “Henry, I forgot to ask you one thing! I’m going to organize the event for the kids from charity. Probably in March. We’re inviting different professionals to talk about their jobs – like a physician, a lawyer, a pianist, a journalist. Having an actor would be wonderful. Just to talk about your job. I’m sure kids will be excited. You don’t have to answer now of course. Think about it. Ok, now I’m really going. I wanted to make sure you pay, so that I won’t be called to the criminal court again! Bye!” 

On her way home she realized, she had five unread messages from James, her (boy)friend, who apparently has been waiting for her in the café next to her apartment.

Once she opened her messenger to reply to James, she got a new text message.

H: That was quick I had no time to reply. Of course, I’d love to take part in this project. Just let me know when. Once again, thank you for the lunch!

***  



	3. Chapter 3

April 2020

Naomi spent the whole March shooting her show in Berlin (as there was a theatre festival) and preparing the charity event for children. She managed to schedule everything– the place (Hyde Park), the catering, the guests. Obviously, everything was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions. Everyone was forbidden to go to the tv studio, so Naomi worked on the new scripts of the episodes, watched movies, wrote reviews of new plays, etc.

Since their last lunch, Naomi had been regularly in touch with Henry, mostly via WhatsApp. They have met a couple of times. The more she talked with him, the more she liked him. He made her laugh. But not only that. He seemed to care about others, yet had this reasonable attitude - often saying that you can’t change the world alone.

She valued him for being the voice of reason. They have known each other for only two months, yet she told him a lot about her family and difficult relationship with her father (who was a real - life spitting image of Logan Roy from The Succession), her issues with James, her weird fascinations of criminal stories about murderers and disappearances and the II World War.

One day she had just come home and put the groceries on the kitchen island, when her phone buzzed. She picked up the video call. Henry. The thought of seeing his face and talking to him always shifted her mood. “Hello boy. Give me a moment I need to wash my hands. I’ve just been out in a bad, bad store.” She giggled and headed to the bathroom with her phone, placing it next to the sink.

“Of course. I can see your tits now, by the way. No worries though, I enjoy the view.” He chuckled lightly. Naomi rolled her eyes and quickly moved the phone to the higher counter. She took a minute to study Henry’s face. Something was off. She couldn’t tell if he looked sad or tired. It was off though. She was wondering why. In this very moment she also realized that he was one of very few people, who were… important to her. Not in a romantic kind of way. No. Naomi didn’t date, she didn’t want to build a relationship with any man, not anymore. Still, he was important.

“Helloo..” Henry waved his hand from the other side of the screen.

“I’m sorry. I thought of my round, perfect, little tits. Changing the awkward subject, how are you doing in times of isolation? You look tired. Is everything ok?” Naomi dried her hands with a towel, grabbed her phone and headed to the kitchen. She placed her phone on the kitchen island, leant on her elbows and focused on the phone screen.

“I’m fine. A bit anxious I think. Not my best day today. That’s why I’m calling. I expect to hear some entertaining story about your crazy childhood.”

She laughed, and thought for a moment. “I’m not in the mood today. You know, I almost got a role in the Moulin Rouge musical in the Old Vic. I mean I did get the part of Satine, and I was so excited, as it would be my debut after all these years. Unfortunately, they called today that due to the lockdown, the project has been entirely called off.” She shrugged “At least Netflix doesn’t disappoint. There’s the Money Heist premiere today.”

After a second she added “Join me today! Look I know it’s illegal, alright? But I can promise we will keep the two – meter distance. I can offer you good whiskey and whatever meal the chosen restaurant could provide. Except for pizza and other carbo shit. I’m on a low-carbo diet. You know I’d love to say I’m one of those women who can eat everything because they’re so cool and don’t care about their looks or have a wonderful metabolism. But unfortunately, I’m not them. My metabolism is my enemy and I do fucking care about how I look because the CEO of BBN asks about my weight like once a month.” She smiled at him “So, take it or leave it.”  
“I take it. I can cook something if you want. Oh, can I take Kal with me?”

“Cooking – ok. Sounds cool. Kal – Henry, in general of course. But you need to keep in mind I’ve got two Pomeranians – and as much as they love people and small dogs, they sometimes hate the big ones. So, bring Kal with you and in case there’s war, I’ll take Marilyn and Audrey to my neighbor.”

They discussed the details about the dogs’ meeting and decided to meet at 6 pm. Naomi took her time to call her mum and friends, take her dogs for a walk and take a shower. Afterwards she applied a bit of makeup, put on her black Nike leggings and white tank top. She let her hair loose so that it could dry quickly. Just after she poured herself a glass of water, her phone buzzed and Henry informed, he’s waiting outside with Kal. Naomi called her dogs and all of them headed to the small park near her apartment. Naomi couldn’t stop laughing when she spotted Henry with the Salvador Dali mask on – a kind of tribute to Money Heist, which they were going to watch.

Unfortunately, just as Naomi thought, there was no love between Kal and Marylin. At least Audrey accepted the big bear immediately. Naomi decided to take Marylin to her neighbor, and the rest of them headed to her place.

Much to Naomi’s surprise, Henry cooked a delicious dinner, and they spent the whole evening watching five episodes of the Netflix series. Being her kittenish self, Naomi gently touched Henry’s knee with her toes from time to time. “Heey… relax.” She said with a smile. “I can tell you something nice, wanna hear?”  
Henry raised his eyebrow and looked at her with a smirk “Go on, entertain me.” He gently rubbed her ankle with one hand, the other one was supported on the back of the sofa.

“Alright..” Naomi closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the delicate massage. Finally she looked him in the eyes. She smiled shyly and turned her face away, “Henry.. Do remind me please, is your dad a boxer?” She asked coyly.

Henry seemed a bit puzzled “No, no. Have I ever said that he was?”

“Well no...but damn, I’m asking because you’re such a knockout!”.

They both burst out with laughter.

“What a cheesy pickup line, I love it! Where do you know that from?”

  
Naomi started to play with her hair “Well, it happens to me all the time” she joked. “It’s nice to see you laughing.” She added after a second.  
At around 3 a.m. they decided it was really late, so they were to terminate their evening with just one glass of Jack Daniels (due to her diet Naomi didn’t drink alcohol, but promised to have a goodbye drink).  
Naomi brought two glasses to the living room and sat on the sofa. Henry was sitting on the opposite side. Once Naomi extended her hand and handled him a glass of whiskey, he slowly grabbed the glass with one hand and held her wrist with another. “What a massive rock!” He said, looking closely at her two - carat diamond engagement ring. He gently caressed her knuckles with his thumb. His touch, ever so gentle made Naomi shiver. Something about it felt so wrong and so right at the same time. “Has James proposed to you? I had no idea”. Henry let go of her hand and supported himself on the back of the sofa.

“No, of course not. It’s an engagement ring I was given by my husband. I often wear it.” Naomi didn’t like to talk about her marriage with anyone. She felt very comfortable with Henry and they talked about many personal things, but she never mentioned her married life.

Henry slowly nodded. “You never talk about your marriage.” He took a sip of his drink and after a couple of seconds asked “Do you still love him?”

Naomi zoned out for a second, focusing her eyes on the floor. Her hand tried to retrace Henry’s touch on her knuckles. This touch. So delicate. It was one of the most intimate moments she’s ever experienced. Why was it so intimate - she didn’t know. She had had a lot of sex lately. Mostly with James. James never touched her this way. Why? Why had nobody ever touched her this way, she thought.

“Naomi.” Henry’s low, but soft voice snatched her out of her thoughts. She looked at him with slightly parted lips. What were they talking about? Oh, right. Her ex-husband.

“Do I love my husband? Because I wear the engagement ring? No. Not at all. I just love expensive jewellery with big diamonds.” She chuckled looking at her engagement ring. “That’s the secret. But no. I have no feelings for my ex - husband. As for why I don’t talk about my marriage, there’s just nothing to talk about. I was 20, he was 34 at that time we got married. I wanted to be an actress, he was a serious entrepreneur. I wanted to run away from my mum, who was trying to take over my whole life, and he was looking for a young woman to build a home with. At some point it didn’t work out. We had a nasty divorce and division of assets. He then moved to Moscow, and as far as I know he still lives there. The end.”

Naomi refilled Henry’s glass with whisky, Naomi willed herself to focus back on the conversation and not on the ghost of his touch that lingered on her skin. “What about your love life, Mr. One Hundred Questions to Naomi Poesy?” She asked and winked at him.

“You know how it is Naomi. It’s just hard to get involved with someone, if you have this kind of job. It’s all about either accepting my schedule and traveling with me, or building a long – distance relationship. It hardly ever works. Also…”

Naomi suddenly held her right hand up in a stop gesture. “I’m sorry, but I just have to interrupt here. That sounds like you’re trying to find a justification. I mean – and I’m really sorry for sharing my opinion unasked – but building any relationship is hard in general. Do you really think your situation is any different from a situation of CEOS or anyone who has a career, money and power? The scale may be different but the issues are all the same. I mean a CEO of a big insurance company does have the very same problems. He asks the same questions - if his new other half is with him because of his status, money, position or because she’s in love. And the schedule thing – sure it’s hard to build a relationship when you’re on the set for a couple of months and it literally consumes all of your time. Trust me though, it’s not easier if you work as a physician or a lawyer, or if you work in a big tv corporation like I do. Instead of being on the set for a couple of months, people work their asses off every day, because they have loans to pay, plans to realize. And they usually don’t have any breaks. The fact that you get back home to your other half after 9 pm does not necessarily make your relationship better. It’s just the matter of what you’re expecting from a relationship.”

Henry just nodded and added after a moment “I just want to have a family of my own.”

“Well. But this is not the answer to the question of what you are expecting from a relationship. I mean, obviously everyone wants to start a family. The question is – what does it mean to you? Some want to start a family because they hate to be lonely, some feel like they need to take care of others, and some just feel like it makes them feel complete. You know sometimes you meet the person you resonate with, you feel the great chemistry with, but it just doesn’t work because of lots of other factors like the timing, circumstances etc. So, what I mean is that you really need to know what you expect from your partner so that you can fight for it.” She thought about what she said for a minute “Hm.. it sounded much wiser in my head before I verbalized it.”

Henry laughed and looked her in the eyes licking his lips. That gentle touch. After a few seconds of glancing at each other she smiled at him and shyly turned her face away. “Ok, enough. Don’t try to charm me here.” She grabbed her phone from the coffee table. “Man, it’s 4 am! I’m not surprised I’m bubbling something half intelligent. I should be sleeping already, I have promised to help Sarah tomorrow morning. This morning. If you want to you can stay, I have a guest room and a spare toothbrush.”  
“Thank you, but I guess I better get back home.” He grabbed his phone and ordered an Uber. “I just have to say” he started as they both stood up and headed towards the hall. “You are so tiny without high heels!”

She laughed “No shit Sherlock.”

“No, but seriously. I wanted to say” he stopped there and looked at Kal. It seemed like he was fighting with his thoughts whether to verbalize what he wanted to say or not. “I really like spending time with you.”

Naomi crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t date Cavill.” She said with a smile.

Henry just nodded and leaned towards her, so close that their faces were just inches away, and said “Well, pity.” He chuckled and leaned even closer to give her a goodbye kiss on a cheek “Bye, girl. Get some sleep.” He then took a step away and called for Kal, who was already bouncing on his legs ready to go.

Naomi reached to open the front door for them, but instead of doing it, she turned towards Henry and leaned against the door. She noticed his clenched jaw, then placed her eyes on his lips and eyes. She slowly grabbed the drawstring of his hood with her right hand and wrapped it around her fingers. “Hey.. I don’t, but what would you do if I did date…?” she asked playfully. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

“Naomi..” Henry smiled lightly at her, and tenderly touched her cheek, moving his fingers from her cheekbone through her lips to her chin. He was slowly studying her face. Naomi looked at him stunned, her lips parted, she was not expecting that.

“I’m 37. I’m too old to play this game. Please, don’t play with me.” He stroked her cheek once more with his index finger and stepped back. He fastened Kal’s leash. In the meantime Naomi unlocked the door and moved back.

“Goodbye” He gave her a warm smile and left.

Naomi quickly closed the door and tried to understand what had just happened. She felt all the emotions at once - arousal, humiliation, sadness, anger, happiness. She brushed her fingers through her cheek. That gentle touch. She took a deep breath. In her entire life Naomi had always been the “tough guy” - first in ballet school, at home, when her mother suffered from depression, and Naomi had to take care of her mother and her brother, then drama school. Establishing her position in television was not easy either. Oh, and her marriage. She was just a girl when she got married and her older husband always knew better. The random men she fucked after she got divorced. James. They all wanted to have her, possess her. And she kind of liked it. It made her feel attractive and in charge. But that touch was somethings new.  
Naomi felt the tears welling in her eyes, as if for the first time in her life, she experienced such a gentle touch. And it felt so good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my first story so please be kind ;) Criticism welcomed of course! If anyone will be interested in the story I will keep on writing it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took me a big longer than I expected, but Im not really much of a writer, so it is not easy for me to go on lol. Hope there's at least one person who reads its. Thank you! Criticism and opinions very welcomed!

30th of July, 2020

Naomi was driving her car home from her pure barre classes, when her phone rang. She quickly switched the Bluetooth on and pressed the dial button.

“Hello, boy. How are you doing? It’s your last Friday of freedom! Are you still in London or have you already got to the countryside?”

Henry chuckled. “Thank you I’m actually doing very fine. I can’t wait to get back to work. Finally. I’m in the countryside already. I’m throwing a small party tonight. Just closest friends. Shisha included. Hope you’re on board. Colin said he could pick you up.”

It took Naomi a minute to answer that question, as she was distracted by other drivers’ weird actions on the road.

“What the fuck is he doing!” She looked to her right and gave the driver sitting in the other car the scary look. “Oh, sorry. The party. Yes. Well, no. I’m sorry, I can’t make it. I’d love to though, really. I know we won’t be able to meet for a couple of weeks now, but BBN has a new CEO. Tonight there’s this introductory dinner. I have to be there. To be honest I don’t really know how I feel about it. This guy is so… disturbing. He visited us two days ago and said that he would announce who is going to end their journey with BBN, and I quote, “Some of you have nothing to add to the company”. 

“Naomi, come on! You don’t really think you are one of these people! You are nominated to the TV Rising Star Award! Come on! But when it comes to your presence at the party, well, I won’t deny I’m a little bit disappointed. I hoped we’d see each other tonight. But I do understand of course. Please let me know tomorrow how the dinner went. Oh, and I am keeping my fingers crossed on Monday. I sincerely think you do deserve to win the award.”

“Thanks. Alright, so, have a great time in the evening and don’t get stoned!”

“Thanks…” There was a short silence between them, Naomi felt like he wanted to add something more, but he didn’t, so she finally broke the silence:

“Ok. Oh, and Hen… I will sincerely miss you. I know how tight your schedule is” she stopped for a brief moment to rethink if she should ask for that, but decided to do so, and continued with soft voice “but just call me from time to time.” 

“If I didn’t know you, I would have thought you fell in love with me, or something.” He joked.

Naomi smiled “Hm. I’m just curious. What makes you feel like you know me?” She asked playfully and grinned like a Cheshire cat at her question. 

“Should I read between lines??” Naomi could only imagine him raising his eyebrow with the cheeky smile on his face. 

“I don’t know. It’s you who said you knew me.” She giggled. “Ok, that’s enough. I’m almost at home, so I need to end this wonderful conversation. Keep in touch.”

“Absolutely. Now that you’ve admitted to falling for me, touching is inevitable.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and exclaimed quickly “Oh dear god, you did not just say that!” And also added with laughter: “Bye!”. She ended the conversation. 

To fall in love with. Whatever being in love means. Naomi thought about it for a while. She didn’t really remember what that meant, how it felt. Was she in love with anyone right now? She knew she wasn’t in love with her fuck friend – James. Henry – on the other hand – was important to her. She thought about him every evening before she went to sleep, she thought about him every morning. His messages made her smile, and the thought of their meeting made her feel warm inside. She knew that with every meeting, she wanted more – longer conversations, just one more movie to watch, another joke to share, another (un)accidental touch. She shivered at each thought of his touch. It has always been so casual and innocent, yet so powerful and soothing. Oh, fuck. Enough of this. He’s so not my type. Her own thoughts terrified her, so she tried to push them away.

***

The evening came very fast. Enveloped in a black, knee-length, silky dress by Dior and Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, Naomi found herself in a cab on the way to the dinner. Her hair was styled in soft waves and her lips painted red. She was very stressed about losing her job, but tried to do as much as possible to make herself presentable and appealing. What a pathetic circus– she thought. 

Just before leaving the cab Naomi fixed her makeup. She entered the Ritz, and quickly headed to the hostess, who waited to lead the guests to the tables. The young girl welcomed her with a glass of champagne, which Naomi politely accepted. She took a small sip. Let the shit show begin. Both women headed to the small room just behind the main chamber of the restaurant. Much to Naomi’s surprise the CEO was already sitting at the small table prepared for two. His posture was relaxed, his jacket hung over the backrest of the chair. He must have been waiting here for some time. He was a handsome man in his fifties, but his mischievous smirk was very disturbing. He didn’t bother to stand up to welcome Naomi. 

“There you are! Our shining little star. Our nominee. Come closer, darling. Let me finally take a proper look at you.” He beckoned her. Naomi approached him and extended her hand for a professional handshake. 

“Mr McKenzie, very nice to meet you.” She faked her sweetest smile and looked around. “Where’s everybody? I was sure I'd heard it was a meeting with all of the presenters.” 

“Surprise, surprise!” He exclaimed and took a sip of his whiskey. “Darling I want to talk with you and only you. YOU are our future. I want to transfer you to the news section and make you the main news presenter. Excited?” He looked her up and down. “Turn around”.

“Excuse me..?” She looked at him with her eyes wide open. That request caught her off guard. She quickly looked around. All of the tables were occupied, and Naomi felt like everyone’s eyes were settled on them. 

“Darling I said just turn around for me. I want to see you.”

The shit-show indeed. Naomi slowly sat down in front of her boss, never ceasing to look him in the eyes. “No, Mr McKenzie. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” She gave him a sly smile. 

“Disobedient. I don’t like disobedience.” He slowly poured whiskey to the empty glass standing on Naomi’s side, and after filling it with the liquid he handed it to her. “Here’s to our new news star.” He took his glass of whiskey and clicked her glass. With his other hand he grabbed her chin and turned her head to her right side and then back to the centre, forcing her to look at him. “You’re so perfect. I will make a star of you. Just be good and obedient.” He let go of her chin and sat comfortably in his chair.

Naomi, usually so outspoken and forward, didn’t know what to say. At the very moment she felt exposed. Vulnerable. Fragile. Lonely. 

“Mr McKenzie, I’m sorry but I don’t really see our cooperation like this. I am very grateful for the given opportunity, but I really love my show, and I have put so much effort to make it work. People like it, the guests like it. It’s not just another talk show, it touches important issues in theatre and film industry, it gives information about acting methods. I think it’s very refreshing and I have only got positive feedback from our viewers. We also have the social media account and the show has the biggest number of active followers. People like it and they associate the show with me. I wouldn’t like to give it to anyone else. I feel like it’s my child.”

“Naomi. I don’t really give a fuck about the number of viewers or comments made by spoiled, cocaine addict celebrities. This show is running to its end and you either become the face of the evening news on my terms, or you can consider yourself jobless.”

“Well, if so… I guess you will have the one and only chance to look at my ass, just as you wanted to. I’m sorry, but I can’t take this offer.” She half whispered all these words. She worked very hard on her composure, but inside she felt like bursting out. She quickly stood up, held her bag and left the restaurant. Just when she caught the taxi and sat inside, the tears started running down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she was deprived of her beloved child, just because someone decided to destroy it.

She gave the taxi driver her home address but after just a minute she changed her destination. Henry.

An hour later, she was standing at the door of Henry’s rented countryside house. She could hear laughter and screams from the inside. She slowly wiped her tears away, trying not to destroy the remains of her makeup. It must have been destroyed, as she felt her cheeks burning from crying. She took a deep sigh and knocked a couple of times. After what it felt like eternity, Henry opened the door. 

“Naomi! You made it!” He looked her up and down “You look absolutely amazing! What a sexy dress. It’s more of a sweatpants party, but no worries. You will fit just perfectly.” Henry was in a very good mood, which made her smile a little. When he asked her in, he noticed her puffy eyes. Suddenly he got all serious and frowned at her. “Hey, come here.” He wrapped his big arms around her. He started to gently stroke her back with his left hand, and with the right one, he moved her hair to the side and placed the palm of his hand on the nape of her neck, pushing her even closer towards himself. When he felt that she started sobbing into his chest, he rested his chin on her head. “Do you want to talk?’ He asked gently. 

“Not now.” was all she was able to say.

“Henners it’s your turn! What the fuck are you doing with the pizza deliv…” One of Henry’s friends ran into the hall, to check what was going on. “Ouch.. it doesn’t look like pizza delivery.. Sorry, sorry. Take your time guys. I’ve seen nothing.” He quickly got back to the living room. “Hey guys it’s not pizza delivery, it’s a lady!” 

The comment kind of lifted Naomi’s spirit. She cry-laughed, and stepped backwards, breaking the embrace. “I’m sorry. Thank you.” She extended her hand and touched his arm. “Thank you. I feel much better now. We’ll talk later, ok? I need to relax. And I should change. I feel so overdressed.”

“Of course. I have my ex’s leggings and t- shirts here, if you want you can wear them. How about me preparing a good drink for you and you in the meantime taking a hot shower and changing?” 

“Sounds perfect.” She said with a weak voice and gave him a faint smile. She looked defeated. She felt defeated. After a minute Henry brought her a pair of leggings and white tank top. Naomi took her time in the shower, she then fixed her makeup, dressed up and headed to the living room. 

“Hello everyone. To those of you I don’t know yet, I’m Naomi” She smiled and waved her hand. She knew some of Henry’s friends, as they have all met a couple of times at the parties. 

When the time passed, this small gathering made Naomi feel much better. Some got burnt down with shisha and weed. One of Henry’s mates was taking the piss at Henry being referred to as “daddy” on the Internet. Another one of his friends, excited with this news, went on the literotica website, picked up some spicy story and both guys started to read it aloud pretending it was about Henry. Naomi found it extremally stupid, but couldn’t stop laughing. Henry was just rolling his eyes and smiling, he was obviously embarrassed. 

“Alright, enough!” He shouted after a minute and everyone got silent.

“Oh my god, Henry. That was so dominant” Naomi purred in a seductive voice and everyone started to laugh dramatically. Naomi just couldn’t breathe. “I’m so sorry, oh god. This is too good.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry…but I have just found out about that kink I had no idea about!” 

At around 2 am, when everyone left, Naomi sat with Henry in the kitchen. She told him about her evening. He didn’t talk much, but was very supportive. He was listening to her carefully. He furrowed his brows and grabbed her hand. “I’m really sorry.” He whispered. They talked about it for another hour, and Naomi finally said: “Alright. I’ve got to go. Not that I need to prepare to work or anything, but still.” She laughed bitterly. In the meantime she ordered the Uber.

“You can stay, you know that.” He was still holding her hand gently brushing the inside of her palm with his thumb. Once she realized that, Naomi quickly withdrew her hand and stood up. 

“No, you need to get rest before the big day.” Naomi grabbed her dress and high heels and headed to the main hall. Henry followed her. 

Once Naomi went out, Henry stopped her by holding her wrist and said “Girl, don’t worry. You are strong. You’ll survive”. He kissed her on the cheek. “Let me know when you arrive home.”

These two sentences crushed Naomi’s heart. She’s heard it before and she’d never forget it. You are strong. You will survive. 

As a child, Naomi’s biggest dream was to become the Principal of the Royal Ballet. At the age of three, she started her first ballet classes. She was a natural, and not long after she was accepted to the national ballet school. She was very talented. This is why she started to work in the Royal Opera House at the age of 12. 

One summer Naomi had an accident. She fell down from a tree and crushed her ribs and knee. She also suffered a spinal injury. She had to have an operation. She had to spend two months in the hospital.

In the last week of Naomi’s hospital stay, her beloved teacher – Mrs Selena Kurylenko visited her. When Naomi’s mentor entered the room, she quickly exclaimed: “I just cannot wait to get back to school and on stage!”.

Selena Kurylenko sat on the small chair next to the bed. “Naomi. What are you talking about, my silly girl? You are not going back to school, child. After this accident, you will never dance again as a ballet dancer. I only came to bring your stuff and say goodbye.” She said with her thick, Russian accent. Mrs Kurylenko put a small bag on the counter next to the bed. “Your pointe shoes. Keep it as a souvenir.” 

Even as a grownup Naomi still perfectly remembered the chills running down her spine on that very moment. The chills that felt like needles. She still remembered Mrs Kurylenko’s last words: “It’s a shame your mother didn’t tell you that you won’t go back to school. She is a weak woman. Unlike you, Naomi. You are strong. You always have been, and you always will be. You will survive”. 

You will survive. Naomi just nodded, said goodbye to Henry and quickly sat inside the car, which had arrived. The driver asked for the place of destination, but she did not hear him. She hid her face in her palms, and couldn’t help crying. She was so fed up with everyone expecting her to be the strong one. 

Suddenly she heard someone knocking on the window, which was followed by opening the car door. She quickly wiped her tears and looked at Henry leaning his shoulder on the opened door. 

“I’m sorry, I just needed a moment for myself.” She said to both Henry and the driver.

“Naomi, get your ass out of the car.” Henry turned to the driver “I am very sorry for that situation. Here’s for the drive.” He gave the driver some money. “My friend is a little burned down and it’s better she stayed here. Thank you very much for your service.” Henry extended his hand to help Naomi out of the car. “Come on, get out.”

Reluctantly she went out of the car. The driver was a bit puzzled, but quickly disappeared, probably thinking that the party must have been pretty rough. 

Henry raised his eyebrow at her and wrapped his arm around her “Come”. 

“Noo.. I’m going home.” Naomi said with a small smile and tried to get out of his embrace. It was more of a tease than a real need to break the embrace of course. 

He didn’t let her go and tightened his embrace. He also leaned forward and whispered into her hair: “Don’t push your limit baby girl, daddy will be pissed.” He gave her the strict gaze, but after a split second both of them burst out with laughter. 

“This is sooo wrong Henry! So wrong!” She said, shaking her head. She finally got out of his embrace and went inside the house.

They’d been watching the most ridiculous horror movie, and at some point Naomi dozed off on the armchair she was sitting at. She woke up at around 4 am, and with sleepy eyes she looked at Henry, who was lying on his side on the sofa. He must have fallen asleep too. She slowly and silently knelt on the floor in front him and studied his face for a moment. He wasn’t her type, but sure thing he was an extremely attractive man. Naomi smiled at the sight of his curls getting into his eyes. She gently moved a strand of his hair to the side. “Are you sleeping..?” She half whispered. He didn’t react. “Hm.. maybe that’s true what you’ve said in the morning. Maybe I am falling for you after all. Too bad it would never work out though.” She stood up, and covered him with the blanket hanging on the sideboard of the sofa. Afterwards, she called the Uber, and once it arrived, she went home.


End file.
